Walnut looking type wood

[Dixon Peer]

Just bite the bullet and get the walnut. I have used quite a bit lately, and the FAS I get here in New Jersey is beautiful stuff...no knots at all. Costly, yes; it's running up there with genuine mahogany and maybe a little more.

If you want a substitute, I think the Sapele suggestion is good.

[Craig D Peltier]

Thanks, I have told the clieant we can also use Bubinga or Mahogany Sapele. Walnut out here is outrageous in cost.

[Craig D Peltier]

I wonder if some nice clear straight-grained fir (amply available in the Pac NW) appropriately dyed would work? There is always dyed poplar as well. These are all relatively cheap but then again, we've no clue what you are making so no clue if they would work.

48x96 dining room table 2.5 thick (maybe 1.75) Arced sides and ends .75 inch per foot. Jatoba inlay to match Jatoba floor table sits on. Inlay 2 inches wide all the way around table following arch.Center inlay shaped like table about 8x16 inch.
I think Polar is way too soft as well as fir. Thanks

[Craig D Peltier]

145 bd ft? Are you sure about the math? This would be a huge table.

Consider a table which is 7 feet long by 42" wide. The top is 1 1/2" thick everyplace. For simplicity, lets say this table has slab ends for support. They'd be 42" by 30" tall, and let's say they're 2" thick. This table would take about 80 bd ft.

Another way to think about this is that if you're building a table which is so big that it does involve 145 bd ft, yes, you're going to be spending a fair amount on lumber.

52x96x3= 104 bd ft Plus another 25-30 for legs. Plus some waste.
Legs are 16/4.

[Craig D Peltier]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I told him if we buy enough you can have a real nice table.Plus have enoigh to build that console table in LR Im already doing it for cheap for him. If you were too 2.5x the materials it would of been alot more. I was already 1500 over his budget.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Dang, I've got 300 bf of absolutely clear walnut in my garage- my neighbor gave me a tree that was 35" across and I slabbed it up into boards that are 9/4 and 16" wide. Not for sale, though, its not quite dry yet and I'm planning using it for my own table.

There is lots of good Walnut in Oregon if you know where to look, the Willamette Valley is full of Walnut orchards.